When God tells us, “You shall be holy; for I am holy,” some of us have problems understanding what the Bible means. When we think of holy, the term seems unapproachable, even impossible to a lot of us. So maybe it would help to bring clarity to the idea if we tried spelling it like this: wholly. When you’re wholly committed to something, your commitment changes your entire outlook and behavior. People are wholly committed to a lot of things, of course. Some people are wholly committed to their careers. Others are wholly committed to sports. Others are wholly committed to making money, or to improving their physical appearance. But if you want to be holy, in the sense that God is holy, then be wholly committed to God. And very soon, if you wholly commit yourself to God, then you will find you are becoming holy as a result. For more about Submitting to God, see Num. 13:26.
Joseph knew that God is sovereign, that He is in control, and that therefore nothing ever comes into the life of any of His children that He has not first approved. Second, Joseph knew that God is good. Therefore the things that come into our lives by God’s sovereignty are for our benefit. One cannot read Joseph’s story without remembering Romans 8:28. Because Joseph loved God, no matter what came his way, no matter how wicked its origin, God turned it around for good. As Joseph said to his brothers, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” For more about the Attributes of God, see Exod. 20:4.
The term Passover means not only “to pass over” but also “to spread the wings over,” “to protect.” The word is used in Isaiah 31:5, “Like birds flying about, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He will also deliver it; passing over, He will preserve it.” Not only would God pass over the Hebrew homes, but also He was standing guard over each of them. The same is true of us who have been grafted into the promises to Israel. The key in each case is to apply the blood, to claim Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. For more about Forgiveness, see 2 Chr. 30:18, 19.
Moses was not alone in being tasked with making judgments. We are all to make judgments and evaluations. When Jesus says, “Judge not, that you be not judged,” it could be better translated, “Condemn not, that you be not condemned” (Matt. 7:1). I am in no position to condemn anyone. I can’t see a man’s heart. I don’t know what the final result of a woman’s life is going to be. So I leave all of that in the hands of God. It is simply not for me to make the final judgment, to decide someone’s motivation or what is in his or her heart. But I can make an evaluation of some things, based on behavior. I can make temporary judgments. And so can you. That’s simply what the Bible means by developing the habit of discernment. When John says, “Test the spirits,” that’s what he has in mind (1 John 4:1). For more about Growing in Christ, see Exod. 33:13.
In the Old Testament, only selected men were called to be priests to serve Israel by representing them to God. They were mediators or go-betweens for the Lord and His people. In the New Testament, and as a result of the new covenant, all believers are called to be priests serving God (1 Pet. 2:5). We become positionally holy when we believe in Jesus (Heb. 3:1). We should then seek to live out this holiness in our attitudes, lifestyle, and behavior. If you want to live a holy life, be wholly committed to following Jesus Christ each day (Josh. 14:8). For more about New Life in Christ, see Deut. 30:15.
Why does God allow evil? This is a hard one. First, understand that God did not create evil. He created humanity in His image and placed Adam and Eve in a perfect paradise. They were given the ability to decide whether they would do right or wrong. They chose badly and decided to rebel. So why didn’t God create human beings incapable of sinning? God wants us to love Him voluntarily, because we choose to, not robotically or under constraint. Nothing warms the heart of a parent more than to hear a child voluntarily come up and say, “I love you!” God wants the same thing. We bring much evil on ourselves because we disregard God’s Word. But God also allows, for now, a general evil in the world as a result of the Fall that produces hardships, yet which ultimately can bring glory to His name (John 9:3). For more about God’s Love, see Num. 6:24, 25; Sin, Exod. 2:14.
God wants us to do His will in His way. Sometimes we do His will in the wrong way. Jacob did this when he stole the blessing from his brother. Abraham did so with Hagar. The Bible tells us, “He who covers his sin will not prosper” (Prov. 28:13). Moses wasn’t even a clever sinner! He hid a corpse in the sand, and sand blows around, exposing the body. Moses later said, “Your sin will find you out!” (Num. 32:23). Are you trying to cover up something? Just come out with it before it gets worse. Nothing is hidden from God. For more about God’s Will, see Deut. 10:12, 13; Sin, Exod. 20:4.